25.02.2026 07:21
An F-16 fighter jet taking off from the 9th Main Jet Base in Balıkesir crashed in the rural area of Naifli village, which is part of the Karesi district of Balıkesir, along the İzmir-Istanbul Highway. The moment of the accident, in which one of our pilots was martyred, was captured second by second by a driver's cellphone camera. In the footage, the citizen who recorded the moment of the plane's crash, unaware of the tragedy that had occurred, asked, "Did lightning strike?"
An F-16 fighter jet that took off from the 9th Main Jet Base in Balıkesir crashed, and one of our soldiers was martyred. The moment the plane fell was captured on the cell phone of a citizen traveling on the highway.
OUR PILOT WAS MARTYRED
Balıkesir Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu announced that the F-16 fighter jet, which took off from Balıkesir Main Jet Base around 00:50, crashed during its mission flight and that one soldier was martyred.
HIGHWAY CLOSED TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC
It was learned that the plane crashed in the rural area of Naifli village, which is part of the central district of Karesi in Balıkesir on the İzmir-Istanbul Highway. Drivers on the highway experienced great shock, and the highway was closed to two-way traffic due to the plane crash.
FOOTAGE OF THE PLANE'S CRASH MOMENT EMERGED
The moment the F-16 fell was recorded in real-time by the driver of a vehicle traveling on the highway. The words of the driver, who asked, "Did lightning strike?" unaware of the tragedy that occurred, left a mark on the footage.